εγλ 0010 March 18. 9:15. Lower Junon.
Being under a city plate always elicited mixed emotions from Reno. On one hand, the undercity life gave him a strange sense of home. Standing in Lower Junon, breathing in the polluted air and the dim atmosphere from the lack of sunlight, Reno couldn't help but be reminded of his childhood days in Midgar's Undercity slums. But on the other, a terrifying guilt overwhelmed him. The haunting memories of the Sector 7 Plate crashing down and killing the residents made his skin crawl and his breath shake.
He was supposed to meet Rude for lunch today, but arrived far too early so Reno decided to walk around the city for a bit. It had been awhile since he last visited Junon. The last time must have been shortly after Meteorfall, when he was still clinging onto the hope of rebuilding Shinra. That hope never came to fruition, the WRO took over the needs that were once fulfilled by Shinra. Adjusting to work as a WRO Turk was a big adjustment-and it was especially difficult without Rude by his side.
It was tough for Reno to believe he was now on the side that was rebuilding the world instead of actively destroying it. Looking around, he noticed that Lower Junon seemed cleaner than the last time he was here. The stench of mako radiation no longer choked the air, instead the smell of the ocean permeated throughout. What was once barren ground now had some patches of grass growing toward the few areas where direct sunlight shone through. Even the people seemed different; locals smiled and said, 'Good morning,' to him, kids played out on the empty street without the look of caution or fear in their eyes. But that was probably because he was out of his Turks uniform today. Without the notorious black suits that struck fear into the hearts of the populace, the suits that parents warned their kids about, Reno was just a normal guy in his jeans and loose sweater.
What would Dad think of me now? Reno shuddered at the thought. Perhaps it was watching the children play that inspired this, or his reflecting on his new place in the world. He felt a pang of grief in his heart as memories of his father played through his mind. The good and the bad, his lively laugh and his cold, bloodied corpse. His mother walked out on them when he was just a baby, so he had no one else to look after him after his father was murdered. Veld took him in and trained him to be a Turk.
Veld was Reno's father figure throughout his teenage years. Reno loved him dearly, and would be forever grateful for the support and guidance Veld had given him. Although he understood the reason, Reno still felt genuinely hurt when Veld left. But by then he was paired up with Rude.
Through everything, Rude was always by his side. Despite his tough appearance, Rude was actually thoughtful and sympathetic-that's where his quiet demeanor came from. Rude had never meant to work for a criminal organization like the Turks, but the cruel hands of fate had pushed them together. But Reno was glad for it. Rude acted as a sort of morality anchor when the depravity of being Shinra's lap dogs became too much. They spent every day of nearly a decade as partners together. Until the day Rude quit the Turks to work a boring office job here in Junon. And as with Veld, Reno understood Rude's desire to change his life, but couldn't help but feel abandonment and loneliness gnawing at his soul.
Reno was trying everything he could to make this world a better place. But how could he possibly atone for the things he did in the name of Shinra? How many lives were lost because of his actions? All the blackmailing, kidnapping, and assassinations he performed under company orders...and the tens of thousands who were killed in Sector 7. His soul was corrupted and there was no way to make it pure, not after the havoc and destruction he caused. Reno had made the world a worse place for so many people. So who was he to try to make it better now? That didn't stop him from trying. He joined the WRO and worked to save people and the planet-and he would continue to do so even though there was no hope of it ever evening out his sins in the end.
Reno took a deep breath and walked along the road to the freight elevator. He had a few hours before Rude was free for lunch. Maybe he would take a walk along the pier and look out into the ocean, or check out a library, or go have some coffee and relax for a bit. Reno looked forward to the day, but didn't ignore the grief plaguing his heart.